Yes, get your ride height set first. The car does gain camber the lower you go.
I have a freak of an NA, or bent control arms on both sides. At my current ride height the alignment tech had no problem getting me -3.0 up front (max available was 3.8!)
As long as the perches are in roughly the same spots on the shocks, you should be okay. It's possible to have really messed up cornerweights and a level ride height, but you have to try.
You could try one of these. Not exactly cheap but a lot less $ than scales and purported to be "close enough for gubbmint work". I've never tried one but it gets honorable mention in Smith's Tune To Win book:
Deco Wheel load checker @ speedwaymotors.com for $179
Message sent Re: I have a wheel load checker
Anyone use one of the checkers vs the scales? Would be handy to play with things (weight dist) at the track.
jere
Reader
5/28/13 10:43 p.m.
A friend of ours that raced with us a couple of times is a master of corner weighting Miata's. I have not seen him in a coupe years but when I was crew chief for our team all the drivers were raving about how much better the car was after he was done messing with the corner weights. I can ask a friend for his name and number if you are interested. PM me or email me if you want me to pursue it further.
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:
Whomever did that to those wheels need to be punished.
Wonkothesane wrote:
jere wrote:
There is always corner weighting with sheets of paper and a calculator
Like a pauper!? Pah, sir, I now am part of an elite class that can look down on the non-specialty-tool-using-to-measure-things unwashed masses. I scoff at your suggestion!
Actually, that's pretty cool. Obviously, it wouldn't be very accurate for how weight, but it could be fine for consistency/balance, which is all that really matters.
Dean - I would love to talk to someone that knows what the heck they're doing, if you don't think he would mind!
A magazine website posted a useful guide a while back. It might help to get you started if you are not familiar with the procedure.
GRM: Understanding Corner Weights
I think a sawzall would be the poor man's corner weight substitute.
Leafy
New Reader
5/29/13 11:52 a.m.
Flatout motorsports, or apex auto engineering are both miata shops in the area that have corner scales and alignment rigs. I know Lester at apex charges $130 for a corner weight an alignment, and he'll align you perfectly to your spec to the accuracy of the laser rig, if you say -2.5* of camber, thats what you'll get.
Otherwise Lester told me on almost every normal miata with the normal 1/2" rake that the passenger side front will be ~1/4" higher than the drivers side front after corner weighting.
I will ask my friend and see if he ahs the contact info and see what his deal is. I think he does race car suspension tuning for a living but I am not sure. Give me a day or three and if I don't get back to you BUG ME. I have a lot on my plate at the moment.
I can vouch for Lester at Apex. Stand up guy who knows his .. . . .